


A Lost Teddy Bear and a New Found Love

by heylittleangel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Background Sam Winchester/Eileen Leahy, Dean is a very good uncle, Dean was born in 94 and Sam in 98, F/M, Fluff, I love fluff, I think that's pretty obvious, M/M, Modern AU, Sam Ships It, Sam and Cas are neighbors, Soft!Dean, Writers of Destiel Discord, Writers of Destiel Discord Weekly Words Challenge, or my plans wouldn't work, pre-destiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 18:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19892080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heylittleangel/pseuds/heylittleangel
Summary: Dean has always been very responsible, especially when he needs to take care of his niece, Mary. But when they can't find her stuffed animal (a Stitch that's a few years younger than Sam), Dean starts to panic, not knowing what to do. Good thing the hot neighbor comes to save the day.





	A Lost Teddy Bear and a New Found Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hey peeps! I'm back with another Weekly Words, this week's prompt was "Stuffed Animal" and I have to say I loved writing it, especially because soft Dean is my sweetheart and I love writing fluff (as you may have realized). The awesome, most talented person (and very patient too because I know I annoy the hell out of her) [ Courtney ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlingtodeath513) ([ or find her on tumblr ](https://fangirlingtodeath513.tumblr.com)) beta'ed this for me, which I immensely appreciate it. 💙  
> I really hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think!

Dean had woken up very early to take Sam and Eileen to the airport, with Mary deep in her sleep in the backseat. She only said a soft goodbye to her parents, too tired to do anything else at that ungodly hour. Dean had given his brother and Eileen each a hug before they went on their way to spend two weeks away for work. He watched them walk towards the airport until Dean couldn’t see them anymore, sliding behind the wheel and driving to Sam and Eileen’s house.

They had all agreed that it would be better if Dean stayed there to take care of Mary as she doesn’t like to leave her house a lot, even if it’s to stay at Uncle Dean’s. 

It isn’t that bad to stay at their house, so Dean has no complaints. Well, aside from the fact that his brother has two dogs, that are also in Dean’s care for the next two weeks, and Dean is not the biggest fan of dogs (though Sam keeps saying that he will love them by the end of the two weeks).

Dean stops at his house only to grab what he’ll need for his stay and some greasy food because he knows Sam won’t have anything like that in the house and Dean can’t live on rabbit food for two weeks. He grabs everything very quickly, glad he had decided to leave it almost a hundred percent packed a few days ago so he wouldn’t have to go through his entire apartment to gather his things.

Mary’s still asleep in the backseat when he comes back and she hasn’t moved even a millimeter. Dean smiles at his niece while he sets his duffel bag beneath her feet. He sits in the driver’s seat and drives towards Sam’s house, which isn't very far away, only a couple of miles from his apartment. 

When he gets to Sam’s house, the first thing he does is take Mary out of the car into his arms while she cuddles herself against him, hiding her face from the sunlight. Once he’s inside the house, Dean places her on the couch with Riot and Bones and throws a blanket on top of her. He walks back to the Impala to grab his duffel and the bags with food.

He starts to sneeze when he gets close to the open door. He sneezes a couple of times, wondering what the hell is triggering it. When he opens his eyes, he sees a cat lying on top of his duffel, like it is its rightful place.

Dean shakes his head, taking the cat on his hands. “Oh, c’mon, really, man? ‘M gonna be sneezing my whole two weeks here now.” He sneezes again, hiding his nose in his jacket.

“I am so sorry. He tends to sleep anywhere he can find and he does like cars,” a low, gravelly voice comes from behind Dean, who turns and meets the brightest blue eyes he has ever seen. He loses his train of thought, the cat almost forgotten in his hands. The man takes the cat from him, forcing Dean back to reality. The stranger pets the cat, turning his gaze back to Dean. “I’m terribly sorry.” Dean opens his mouth to say he’s sorry but sneezes instead, turning his head and putting his hand to his face. The man chuckles softly. “I’m assuming you’re allergic?”

Dean nods, rubbing a hand on his face. “I am. Very allergic.”

The man places the cat on the ground and it runs towards the house next to Sam’s. He squints his eyes at Dean. “You must be Sam’s brother. Nice to meet you, I’m Castiel Novak.” He stretches his hand out to Dean.

“I’m Dean.” He shakes Castiel’s hand, cocking his head. “Have we met?”

Castiel chuckles. “No, I don’t think so. I know Sam because he’s my neighbor and I normally have to go to his house to get my cat back. He really likes spending time there.”

“Great, two dogs and a cat. Sammy’s trying to make me the new animal lover. I knew I should’ve taken Mary to my house.”

“I’ll try to keep him at my place so it won’t trigger your allergies. So, you’re staying here to take care of Mary while Sam and Eileen are away?”

“Yep. Just dropped them at the airport. Did they tell you?”

Castiel nods. “Eileen mentioned they had to travel for work and Sam’s brother was going to stay here while they were away. She also told me not to worry if I heard screamings at the house because you and Mary tend to have fun and be _very_ loud.”

Dean blushes, scratching his neck. “Yeah, Mary usually brings the kid I keep locked away inside of me to the surface.”

Castiel smiles. “Don’t worry about it. I also have a nephew who tends to be very loud.” He looks at the duffel inside the car and frowns. “Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t want to bother you. I’ll let you take your things inside.”

“Don’t sweat about it, man. Though I should get inside before Mary wakes up. Gotta fix her some breakfast. But it was nice meeting you. If you have your nephew over, feel free to knock. I’m sure Mary would be happy to have another kid to play with.”

Castiel smiles. “Thank you. It was nice meeting you.” He turns on his heel, walking back to his house.

“Yeah, you too,” Dean’s voice comes out low as he skims Castiel’s body. He shakes himself, taking his gaze away from the guy. 

_Get a grip on yourself, man, you’re not here to find a hookup._

Dean grabs his duffel and the food bags from the car, closing the door with his foot. He walks to the house, closing and locking the front door behind him. He puts the bags on the kitchen counter and his duffel on the bed in the room he usually stays in. He checks on Mary, smiling when he sees her snoring softly with one of her hands in Bones's fur.

He smiles at himself and walks back to the kitchen, wondering what to make for breakfast. He decides on pancakes and bacon for him, and a cake for Mary because she absolutely loves cake at any time of the day.

He first starts making coffee for himself before anything, or, otherwise, he won't work. He then makes the cake and the pancake batter, putting the cake in the oven and some of the pancake batter on a frying pan. He fries the bacon in another pan while the kitchen is filled with the smell of coffee. 

Mary gets up when Dean is finishing putting the pancakes and the bacon on a plate for himself. She has a grumpy expression on her face, rubbing her eyes as she stumbles through the kitchen to sit on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Dean smiles at her, giving her a kiss on the forehead while ruffling her hair.

She groans while batting his hand away from her hair. Dean chuckles. “You’re like me in the mornings, y’know?” She squints her hazel eyes at him, reminding him of Sam. “You’re a very grumpy thing in the morning.”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“Sure you’re not, sweetie.” Dean smiles at her while she keeps her eyes squinted at him. “And now you’re reminding me too much of your Dad. He used to do the same expression when I annoyed him. He still does. So, do you wanna OJ or hot chocolate?”

She tilts her head slightly, thinking. “Hot chocolate.”

“All right, you got it.”

Dean takes the cake out of the oven, letting it cool down on the counter while he makes Mary’s hot chocolate. She rests her head on her arms while watching Dean move around the kitchen. After a few minutes, Dean puts a plate with a piece of the cake and a steamy mug in front of her. 

He sits on the stool next to her, his plate with pancakes and bacon and a mug full of coffee in front of him. Mary wrinkles her nose at the smell of bacon. “How do you like that, Uncle Dean?” 

He arches his brows at her, a piece of bacon inches from his mouth. “Like what?”

“Bacon. It smells terrible. And Dad says it’s not healthy.”

Dean scoffs, stuffing the bacon in his mouth. “This here,” he points at the bacon on his plate, “this is one of the best things humankind has come up with. Or are you gonna say that you like all that green stuff your Dad likes to eat?” 

She nods, taking a piece of her cake with her fingers and putting it in her mouth. “I like Dad’s salads.”

Dean shakes his head. “Of course you do. You’re too much like your Dad, y’know? Practically a smaller version of him.”

Mary smiles wide. “Mommy always says that too. But she says I have her hair.”

Dean smiles at her. “You do.”

They finish their breakfast with jokes, Dean stealing pieces of Mary’s cake while she complains at him. Mary helps Dean put things in their place while he does the dishes, spraying her with water. He runs after her all around the house, trying to tickle her. 

They end up on the giant couch in the living room with Dean tickling Mary while Bones and Riot jump around them, excited by Mary’s squeaks. Dean stops tickling her after a few minutes, his hands falling by his sides as the dogs knock their noses on the hand hanging off the couch. Mary relaxes on top of him, her little hands petting Dean’s hair.

“So, what do you wanna do now, sweetie?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. Dad said we should go out with Riot and Bones every day.”

Dean groans. “Your Dad likes to give me work, doesn’t he? Okay, let's grab their collars and everything and we can go. You go and change too. No going out in your PJ’s.”

Mary smiles at him and stands up, running to her bedroom as soon as she has her feet on the ground. Dean chuckles while listening to her going through all of her stuff in her room. Yeah, it’s gonna be a long two weeks.

**~★~**

Sam calls right after Dean tucks Mary in her bed and Dean’s pretty sure Sam knows it. He answers it after three rings, “Hey, Sammy.”

“Hey, Dean. Eileen and I just got to the hotel and I think Mary’s in her bed, so I thought it would be a good time to call.”

Dean sinks onto the couch, yawning. “Yeah, I just tucked her in.”

Sam laughs. “She already got you tired?”

“Man, that girl has some energy. I think she manages to be worse than you were at that age. I’m too old for it.”

“You do know you still have thirteen days with her, right?” Dean hums, throwing his head back. “Anyway, besides the fact you’re old, how are things there? Did you take the dogs out?”

“Yeah, me and Mary took them to the park, spent most of the day there. And yes, I brought water and food for them, don’t worry. I don’t know who ran and jumped more there, her or the dogs.”

Sam chuckles. “Yeah, she really likes to go to the park with them. Anything else?”

“Well, your neighbor’s cat almost killed me today.”

“Did he, now?” Sam replies with a dubious tone to his voice.

"As a matter of fact, he did. When I got here, I went inside to put Mary on the couch and he decided to take a nap on my duffel, inside the Impala. Everything smells like cat now. I've put the clothes with fur in the washer, otherwise I won't be able to wear them."

Sam laughs. "You know, he has a habit of going to our house to take naps there. I don't think washing your clothes will be enough."

Dean rolls his eyes, standing up. "Yeah, I know it. Your neighbor told me about it."

"Hmm, so you've met Cas, huh? Me and Eileen have been meaning to introduce you two."

Dean furrows his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Nothing much. He's nice and I think you two would like each other. He moved in recently, doesn't know anyone in the city yet. Think it would be nice for him to know some people so he won't be all alone."

"Mhm, alright. Well, he did say he has a nephew and I told to drop by if they wanted."

"Oh yeah, Mary loves playing with Jack. He's really sweet. Oh, and you’re being careful with whatever gun you have with you, right?”

Dean rolls his eyes. “Of course I am, Sam. You know, they do have training before we’re cops, if all those years hunting with Dad and Bobby aren’t enough.”

Sam sighs tiredly. “I know, Dean, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying. Anyway, I gotta go. I’m tired of the flight and Eileen and I need to be up early tomorrow for the conference. Call if anything happens.”

“Will do, Sammy. Good luck at the conference tomorrow. Say hi to Eileen for me.”

“I will. Thanks, Dean.”

Dean hangs up the phone, placing it on the coffee table. He yawns and decides to sleep too. If he’s going to spend the whole day doing activities with Mary for the next two weeks, his normal four hours won’t cover it.

**~★~**

The days pass by normally, Dean every day coming up with new things for him and Mary to do, taking her to different places and even showing her where he trains with the police academy. She says she wants to be a police officer like him when she grows up, which warms Dean to the core. It also brings tears to his eyes but he doesn’t need to tell anyone that.

True to his word, Castiel managed to keep his cat in his house, which Dean very much appreciates. He sneezes a couple of times but mostly because of the fur his clothes still have stuck to them. Dean only sees Castiel a couple of times, waving when they see each other, but nothing more, since Dean is far too shy to try and talk more with Castiel.

After a week and a half of Dean staying with Mary, they go out to do their daily walk with Bones and Riot. Every time they’ve left the house, Mary had to take her stuffed animal with her, a Stitch about sixteen inches tall that once belonged to Sam. Dean did his best to convince her to leave it in the house but no amount of convincing worked, so he gave up after a few days. 

They walk to the park near Sam’s house, Mary jumping ahead of Dean, making it very hard for him to hold both Bones and Riot when they want to run with her. He lets them off of their leash when they get to their usual spot and the two of them along with Mary go running around the park, Mary throwing a ball to each of them.

Dean sits on one of the benches, stretching his legs out in front of him, keeping his gaze locked on Mary and the dogs. He knows he won’t be able to stay sitting for long because Mary will come and drag him to run with her and the dogs in just a few minutes, so Dean enjoys the warmth the sun is giving off without boiling him alive. 

Sure enough, not fifteen minutes pass before Mary is jumping on the spot in front of him, grabbing his hand. “Uncle Dean, come play with us!”

Dean sighs, holding himself back from standing up. “Naah, I’m too tired,” he replies while holding back a smile from his niece.

“Pleeeease?” She looks at him with big, round puppy eyes, melting Dean’s heart.

He chuckles, standing up. “All right, fine, let’s go. I was never able to say no to your dad’s puppy eyes either.”

She smiles, dragging him along with her to where Bones and Riot are sitting. Dean closes his hand around the bag he brought before Mary can drag him too far away. They walk until they’re under a tree and Dean fumbles for a bottle of water for Mary and the bowls for the dogs. He fills the bowls with fresh water as Mary gulps down her own water. She hands him the bottle once she’s finished, already starting to jump on the spot while waiting for the dogs to finish drinking their water.

Dean puts everything back in its place after, tucking the bag against the roots of the tree. He turns to Mary with his hands on his hips. “So, what do you wanna do young lady?”

“Run and throw the ball to Bones and Riot.”

“Oh, so you dragged me all the way here just to run?” She nods happily. Dean gives her a devious smile. “Then you’re gonna have to run from the _tickle monster_!” 

She squeals and starts running while Dean runs after her. Bones and Riot bark and run after the two of them, being careful not to make Mary trip. Dean catches her when she turns on a tree, throwing himself on the ground with her on top of him. He starts tickling her while she tries to squirm out of his hold. 

Bones licks Dean’s face, making him lose his hold on Mary. She gets out from his arms, hiding behind Bones and Riot. “See, Uncle Dean? They protect me.”

“They cheat for you, that’s what they do.” Dean uses his shirt to clean the saliva off his face. “But alright, fine, you win. What do you wanna do now? Just run?”

She nods happily, grabbing the balls to throw to the dogs. Dean stands up and Mary tosses one of the balls to him. They start running, Bones and Riot behind them, and they throw the ball in different directions, each dog going after one. 

They play with the dogs the whole morning, Dean sometimes catching both balls and making Bones, Riot, and Mary run after him to get them, playing hide-and-seek with Mary while the dogs bark at the person hiding, making it easier for the other to find them. 

Dean throws himself on the ground near a tree after a few hours, all of his body hurting. Mary sits beside him with her water bottle while the dogs drink their water. She runs her fingers through his hair, taking her hand away and making an ‘ew’ sound when she feels the sweat on his forehead. “You’re wet, Uncle Dean!”

Dean chuckles, rubbing his hand on his forehead and wiping it on his shirt. “Well, running around all morning does that to you, sweetie. Especially when my niece and her dogs can’t stay quiet for more than five minutes.” He looks at her, squinting his eyes against the sunlight. “Are you hungry?” 

“Yes. A lot.”

“All right.” Dean sits up and grabs his bag, dumping the water in the bowls and putting them and the water bottle inside it. “Let’s take them home, I’ll feed all of you, and then we can go out and have some ice cream, what do you say?”

She throws her arms around him. “You’re the best, Uncle Dean.”

Dean laughs, circling her with one of his arms. “Let me record this to show to your dad.” 

She shakes her head, staring at him. “Dad’s the best too. You’re both the best to me, just like Mom.”

Dean smiles, ruffling her hair. “Okay, I think I can accept that.” He lets her go and grabs the leashes to put on Bones and Riot. He puts the bag on his shoulder, grabbing a leash in each of his hands and stretching one of them to Mary. “C’mon, the sooner we go back, the sooner we can go out and have ice cream.”

Mary smiles at him and grabs his hand as they start their walk back home.

**~★~**

Dean only realizes there’s something wrong when he can’t find the damn Stitch anywhere in the house and Mary is staring at him with eyes full of tears, holding her blanket tight in her arms. Dean tries to comfort her, saying they’ll find it. She only keeps staring at him with those big, hazel eyes.

He looks all over the house, in his room, Sam and Eileen’s room, Mary’s room, and with the dogs to be sure they didn’t take it. He even looks inside Baby to make sure she didn’t forget it there when they went to get ice cream. He doesn’t find anything and he starts to panic, knowing she can’t sleep without it.

Dean kneels in front of her, holding one of her hands in his. “Sweetie, do you remember the last time you had it? Maybe we forgot it when we went to the park.”

“I think I had him in the park but I don’t remember having him after we left.”

Dean takes a deep breath, standing up. “All right, let’s go see if we can still catch the park open, okay?” She nods and Dean takes her in his arms, stopping near the front door just to get a coat for her and his keys.

He drives to the park as fast as he can, thanking all the gods when he sees it’s still open. He takes Mary from the backseat and they run to the front of the park, Dean stopping they man closing the gate. “Hi, evening, sir.”

The man looks at them with a smile on his lips. “Good evening. Do you need anything?”

“Ah, yeah, actually. Me and my niece came here to play with the dogs in the morning and she forgot her stuffed animal here. It’s a blue one, with pointy, purple ears. He kinda looks like an alien.”

“That’s because he _is_ an alien, Uncle Dean!”

“Right, he’s an alien. Have you seen anything like that here, sir?”

The man shakes his head softly. “No, I’m sorry, I haven’t and no one left anything with me either.”

Dean sighs, rubbing a hand on his forehead. “Okay. Well, thank you anyway, sir.”

The man nods and Dean and Mary walk back to the car. “Don’t worry, sweetie, we’ll find it, okay? We’ll drive back slowly and see if we can find it on our way.”

Mary only nods, staring at her feet while she walks. Their drive back is silent, Dean paying attention to the sidewalks to see if he can catch a glimpse of the Stitch anywhere. He doesn’t find anything that could possibly be it anywhere and they get back to the house without any hope of finding it again.

Dean puts Mary on the couch, kneeling beside her and holding her hand. "Sweetie, I'll do everything I can to find it, okay? I swear."

Mary only stares at her lap, her lips trembling. Dean can't take the sadness on her face and sits beside her, collecting her in his arms and giving a kiss on her forehead. She circles her tiny arms around him, burying her face against his chest.

Dean's doesn't know how long they stay like that while he murmurs comforting words to her, trying to sound convinced that they'll find Stitch. The doorbell rings, making them both jump. Dean places Mary gently back on the couch.

"I'll be right back, okay?" She nods softly and Dean walks up to the door.

He opens it and finds Castiel on the other side. Dean frowns, suddenly _very_ aware that he's in sweatpants, a practically ancient Metallica shirt, and his hair is a total mess. He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, hi."

Castiel smiles at him. "Hello, Dean. I believe this is Mary's?" He takes his hand out from behind his back, the Stitch in his hand. 

"Oh my god, how did you find it?" Dean takes the Stitch from him. 

Castiel shrugs. "I went to the park to see my sister and my nephew today and saw it by a tree. I've seen Mary with it plenty of times and imagined she forgot there. I heard your car a few minutes ago and decided to come and give it back."

"Thank you so much, seriously." Dean waves him in, making space for Castiel to enter the house. 

As he enters, Dean notices he's also wearing sweatpants and an old shirt, but he has a tan trench coat on top of all of it. 

They walk to the living room, Dean hiding the Stitch behind his back. Mary's still in the same spot Dean left her, curled under her blanket. She raises her eyes at them and Dean gives her a smile. "Look what Castiel found, sweetie." He shows her the Stitch and her face brightens up. She jumps off the couch, running to Dean and taking the stuffed animal from his hands. She hugs it tight, burying her face against it. "What do we say?"

She looks up to Castiel with a shy smile. "Thank you, Castiel."

Castiel smiles back at her. "You are very welcome."

Dean looks at Castiel while taking Mary's hand in his. "I'll just tuck her in and I'll come back. Make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you, Dean."

Castiel gives him a smile and Dean walks with Mary to her room. He tucks her in, wrapping the blanket around her as she hugs her Stitch tight. 

He plants a kiss on her forehead and turns the nightlight on, just a low light for Mary to be able to sleep. "Good night, sweetie. Sleep well."

She stares at him with sleepy eyes. "Castiel likes you."

Dean arches his eyebrows. "What? You're too sleepy, you're imagining things."

"I'm not. He looked at you just like Dad looks at Mom sometimes. And Dad likes Mom."

Dean scoffs. "Yeah, you're imagining things. We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay sweetie?"

Mary closes her eyes, smiling. "I'm right, Uncle Dean. You'll see."

Dean shakes his head, giving her one last kiss before walking out of the room, leaving the door half open.

He goes back to the living room to see Castiel with a book on his hands. Castiel raises his eyes from the book when he hears Dean's footsteps. "Is this yours?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. I brought just in case I had some free time. Which I haven't so far."

Castiel chuckles, placing the book back on the coffee table. "Yeah, I understand you. I really like it."

Dean sits beside him on the couch, stretching his legs in front of him. "Really? You don't seem like the type who likes horror."

"Oh, I love horror stories, they’re my favorites. Especially Poe and Lovecraft."

Dean smiles. "I have lots of books from them in my apartment. I'm always rereading."

“I should take some suggestions from you, then. Though, I like crime novels."

Dean groans, throwing his head back. "Oh man, I can't even read them. I already have enough of cops in my life." Castiel tilts his head, staring at Dean. "Oh, right. I'm a cop, makes it a little hard for me to read books about cops."

Castiel chuckles, nodding. "I understand. You probably deal with a thriller every day."

Dean nods, laughing. They keep talking about things they like and dislike, getting to know each other and realizing they do have a lot in common. At some point during the night Dean realizes that maybe Mary is right and she's smarter than Dean thinks—maybe Castiel, or Cas as Dean's calling him now, does like him. And Dean can't deny he likes Cas too. 

They only realize how late it is when Mary comes out of her room to get a glass of water and Dean checks his watch, which marks almost 4 A.M. Cas leaves to go to his house but they mark a date for the next day, Cas with his nephew and Dean with Mary. Dean only hopes that it won't be the last one.

**Author's Note:**

> I maybe, maybe, have an idea for a second part but I'm not promising anything.  
> As always, you can find me on tumblr as [ gii-heylittleangel ](https://gii-heylittleangel.tumblr.com)


End file.
